Monday, April 17, 2017

We took advantage of the nice weather over Easter weekend to do some hiking at Frontenac Provincial Park. On Sunday we headed to the park. The forecast was for a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 18°C. There was an increasing chance of showers as the afternoon progressed, but we figured we'd be finished before the greatest chance arrived.

As luck would have it, as we pulled into the parking lot it started raining. We made our way to the park office, purchased our permits and used the facilities. We had a look at some of the displays in the office then decided to head out. The rain had stopped by this point and it looked as though the skies were clearing a bit.

We've hiked the Arab Lake Gorge trail (an easy 1.5 km hike) in the past so this time we opted for something a little more challenging. We decided to hike the 3 km Doe Lake trail.

Checking Out the Trailhead

The Doe Lake Trail (along with the Arab Lake trail) starts with a section of boardwalk that passes through a swamp that was teaming with the sounds of frogs. We heard northern leopard frogs, wood frogs and tree frogs. It was great to hear these signs of spring.

Stairs leading to the Boardwalk

Along the Boardwalk

A Fork in the Trail

The Doe Lake trail starts by meandering nicely along the shore of South Otter Lake. On this day, the lake looked so inviting. It was quite calm and the light breeze off the water was welcome given that the temperature in the sun was 24°C. Our son kept saying that he wanted to swim so I encouraged him to walk down to the water and put his hand in. After doing so he still said he wanted to swim. When I mentioned he should try it, he didn't take me up on the offer.

South Otter Lake

The lake looked so inviting. I wished that we had brought a canoe with us. Next time!

Looking out Over South Otter Lake

The trail branches off to head up to see the Kemp Mine, an old mica mine. We were able to see deep into the mine, where there was water and some snow. Outside the mine it's very easy to see small bits of mica. We had fun looking at the different forms of mica. I didn't get any pictures of the mine. We have a new camera and the kids were enjoying having a turn.

Garter Snake 'Captured' by the Four Year Old

Huge Rock

Shanty

Through The Woods

Looking Out Over Doe Lake

As we left the Doe Lake lookout I noticed some dark clouds off in the distance. We picked up the pace as the clouds started to roll in. It did start raining lightly on us for the last 500 m or so. It didn't much matter since we had come prepared to hike in the rain.

We all had a great time enjoying the fresh air and taking in the sights of the forest as it awakens from its winter slumber. Next time we'll be sure to bring the canoe along.